Middle East News
Iran denies suspension of uranium enrichment (Roundup)
Mar 6, 2007, 12:39 GMT
Tehran - Iran on Tuesday denied claims by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief that the Islamic state had at least temporarily suspended its uranium enrichment programme, state news agency IRNA reported.
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said in a statement carried by IRNA that enrichment activities in the Natanz plant in central Iran were still going on within the previously planned framework and under IAEA supervision.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had reportedly also doubted that there was any increase in the number of centrifuges and additional UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) gas being fed into the machines.
The Iranian statement said there have been no changes but did not rule out that ElBaradei might have been misquoted by the press.
According to the latest IAEA report, Iran has two operating cascades of 164 centrifuges each and another two cascades with the same number of centrifuges to be operated soon.
Tehran says, however, that both cascades have so far been for research purposes only.
Uranium enrichment up to 5 per cent can only be used for producing nuclear fuel, but increasing the level to 90 per cent within the same process means the material can be used to produce atomic bombs.
Tehran has said it will not exceed the 5-per-cent level and just wants to have its own nuclear fuel cycle. The West wants the enrichment process to be halted until the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme can be proven.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said earlier Tuesday that any military measures would just make Iran more decisive in the nuclear dispute.
'The Westerners have chosen in the nuclear issue a scenario which was not successful and even military measures would not be effective but on the contrary just make us more decisive,' ISNA news agency quoted Larijani as telling Iranian diplomats.
Tehran doubts purported US plans for military strikes against its nuclear sites, dubbing the reports 'psychological war,' but has nevertheless declared full readiness for all possibilities.
Larijani also accused the West of trying to sow discord among Shiite and Sunni Muslims. 'Muslims should neutralise such conspiracies with wisdom and vigilance,' he said.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator once again called for negotiations as the best option for settling the dispute over his country's controversial nuclear programme and he reiterated Tehran's readiness for talks.
Although Iran is ready to hold negotiations with the West, including political arch-foe the US, it rejects the main demand by the international community that it suspend uranium enrichment.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to adopt another resolution - this time with financial sanctions - against the Islamic state after Tehran rejected last December's resolution 1737 obliging it to suspend its enrichment programme.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
How do you trust people who openly declare that they want you dead?
Only for uranium fuel cycle? That I might believe, only because a byproduct of that cycle is plutonium which can be used for bigger and better bombs.
True motivation? Deterrence. If they have nukes then they are safe from invasion.
The US's idea of diplomacy over there is similar to a parent talking to a rebeling teen - 'Cut the crap, do what I say and then I might listen to you!'. Now if Iran had a nuclear weapon the US's diplomatic strategy might change a little ya think?
'How do you trust people who openly declare that they want you dead?'
Another question, how do you reason with people who blame all of their problems on 'the west' and the idiots that apologize for them.
'It's no secret or surprise why some of these Middle Eastern countries hate us so much and why some of the people have resorted to violence.'
None at all, our success underlines their failure and they looooove violence.
'Now if Iran had a nuclear weapon the US's diplomatic strategy might change a little ya think?'
Perhaps, but Israels would as well. Do you want a nuclear war in the middle east so a bunch of crazy mullahs can flex their mussels?
Yes I do. Burn that entire region down, turn the desert into radioactive glass. I want to turn on CNN and see the weather report from Baghdad 10,000 degrees and cloudy! Let them kill each other off and we can drill for oil when they're done.
'burn that entire region down, turn the desert into radioactive glass. I want to turn on CNN and see the weather report from Baghdad 10,000 degrees and cloudy!'
I understand your frustration, but that is not going to get you to where you want to go.
page: 1
Just another unnecessary Western interventionMar 6th, 2007 - 14:16:22
Knowing the history of the West with the Middle East, this is just one more attempt at discrediting a soverign Middle East nation to fold under Western pressure. When will the West have the nobility and reason to leave these people alone?
It's no secret or surprise why some of these Middle Eastern countries hate us so much and why some of the people have resorted to violence. The only way we will find peace with the Middle East is by leaving them alone politically & millitarily and actually using diplomacy.
The first step to resolving issues is trust. Let's start there.
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